SWPL Player Drain: A Problem or a Positive?

The Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) is experiencing a significant player drain to England, but the league's managing director, Fiona McIntyre, insists this trend can be a positive for women's football in Scotland. Speaking at the new season launch, McIntyre acknowledged the inevitability of these transfers given the resources available south of the border, while expressing hope that Scottish clubs will eventually receive larger fees for developing talent.

Exodus to England

This summer has seen a notable number of SWPL players move to English clubs. Ipswich Town, a second-tier side, have signed six players from the SWPL, including Celtic's Emma Lawton, Hearts trio Georgia Hunter, Bayley Hutchinson, and Georgia Timms, and Hibernian pair Rosie Livingston and Eilidh Adams. Hibernian have also lost influential striker Kathleen McGovern to Newcastle United, who compete in the same division, while Mia McAulay has departed Rangers for WSL side Aston Villa.

McIntyre's Perspective

McIntyre views these transfers as a reflection of the quality of the SWPL. "We don't want to lose talent, but when you're on the border of one of the best resourced leagues in the world, the fact they're coming to Scotland is a real positive in the sense it reflects well on the standard we have," she said. "In an ideal world we want the best players to stay in Scotland, of course we do."

She emphasized that the SWPL's priority is maintaining a high standard, but acknowledged that players will seek opportunities in better-resourced leagues. "Our priority is that the SWPL has a really high standard but we're not naive and if there's opportunities for players to go down south and play in a league that is so well resourced then we absolutely accept that," McIntyre stated. "As long as the clubs get a financial reward for that then that's something that can become part of the economic model of women's football."

Financial Implications

Currently, most of the summer moves to England have been under freedom of contract, meaning no compensation was required. McIntyre believes that player trading will become a new revenue source for Scottish clubs in the future. "We're not yet, from a club perspective, really creating a lot through player trading," she explained. "That will come in time and will be a new revenue source."

Opportunities for Young Players

McIntyre also highlighted that the departures create openings for younger players to gain valuable experience. She pointed to Hearts' performance in the Champions League qualifiers, where they fielded several young players. "Look at Hearts in the Champions League qualifiers with some really young players and doing fantastically well," she said. "Those opportunities, to some degree, come about because other players have left. So I think you have to see the positive and how we can use it to make Scotland a real hotbed of talent."

She added that while some talent may leave, it could benefit the national team and provide chances for emerging Scottish players. "Some of it may leave and that may benefit the national team, and when players leave it creates opportunity for young Scottish players to really get a chance."

The SWPL 2026-27 season kicks off on Sunday, 16 August.